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Jordan, Lebanon Compacts Should Be Improved, Not Abandoned (News Deeply)

February 5, 2018

From the article:

Since the Syrian conflict broke out in 2011, Jordan has absorbed more than 1 million refugees, straining its already limited resources. In 2016, world leaders looked beyond traditional humanitarian assistance and agreed to a new response: a compact between donors and the government of Jordan that would support infrastructure projects, employment opportunities and basic services that help meet the needs of refugees and their host communities over the longer term. The compact also included national policy changes to better enable refugees to become self-reliant, such as giving refugees the ability to work legally and attend public schools.

In December, Refugees Deeply published an investigative report on the response to the Syrian refugee crisis, with a focus on the Jordan Compact and a similarly constructed Lebanon Compact. The report put a spotlight on the complex and nuanced challenge of responding to protracted displacement, and highlighted challenges of both compacts, including a lack of meaningful progress for refugees and their host communities. The authors ultimately questioned whether compacts can succeed.

In December, Refugees Deeply published an investigative report on the response to the Syrian refugee crisis, with a focus on the Jordan Compact and a similarly constructed Lebanon Compact. The report put a spotlight on the complex and nuanced challenge of responding to protracted displacement, and highlighted challenges of both compacts, including a lack of meaningful progress for refugees and their host communities. The authors ultimately questioned whether compacts can succeed.